Eagle Rock and Other Local Archeological Sites with CMU's John Seebach

388 S. Grand Mesa Dr,Cedaredge CO 81413

12 November, 2022

Description

Thousands of years ago, some of the earliest humans known to inhabit North America found shelter on a ledge by what is now known as the Gunnison River, not far from Austin, Colorado. The southeastern exposure of the rock overhang offered not only shelter from rain, snow and wind, but cool shade in summer, warm sunshine in winter, and unlimited plant food, fish and game. They settled in and made their home on the bank of the river for thousands of years. The site is not much bigger than a small house, and provides a complete record of local culture over an extended period of time dating from between 13,000 and 8,000 years ago, with no gap in occupation. SCVHS President, Jerry McHugh, was fortunate to meet Dr John Seeback at Eagle Rock in September and said, "Seeback's passion for our local history in infectious. He is a wonderful storyteller, and an expert on the indigenous life of our area." John D. Seebach, PhD, is an archaeologist specializing in the prehistory of the western United States with particular interest the Paleoindian era (ca. 12,500 - 8,000 years before present). He is currently continuing his technological analyses of the Folsom lithic assemblage from the Chispa Creek workshop from far west Texas, and is beginning to document the Paleoindian materials found in the vicinity of CMU. Seebach also maintains a flourishing interest in the Late Formative prehistory (ca. 900-1300 AD) of the Western Slope, seeing distinct socioeconomic parallels between the small, agricultural hamlets of the region with those of the contemporaneous Jornada-Mogollon of the Chihuahuan Desert. Whether from 12,000 years ago or the 12th century AD, Seebach's primary goal is to document the ways in which prehistoric Native Americans adapted to the arid environments of the American deserts.